In celebration of their 100th episode, and because they ask for reviews on almost every show, we’re taking a look at what’s quickly become one of the main pillars of the UK’s small press and indie comics scene, the Awesome Comics Podcast! The basic premise is simple, you’ve got three hosts, Vince Hunt (creator of Red Mask from Mars and Stalkerville), Dan Butcher (creator of Vanguard and artist for El Marvo), and Tony Esmond (writer and contributor to Down the Tubes) who have a nice blend of knowledge, experience, and influences, sitting down for two hours at a time, often with a guest, and chatting about comic books. The three bounce off each other really well. The first episode was the first time Dan and Vince had properly spoken to each other, yet you’d be hard pressed to tell if they hadn’t said so. There’s no noticeable awkwardness and now they’re preparing to record their 100th episode they’ve had time to become extremely comfortable around each other, letting their personalities shine through. This is one of those rare podcasts where no one really takes the lead. Typically, podcasts have a host and co-host relationship and, while Vince is advertised as the main host and audibly interjects at times to get things back on track, the trio truly feel like equals. They also don’t talk down to their audience, as a listener you’re assumed to have some base form of intelligence and they respect that, if you’re listening to a comics podcast, you know the basics of that world at the very least. It’s quite welcoming and respectful in that...

Unfamiliar Skies is currently on Kickstarter to raise funds to cover the print costs of the book. Click here to see the campaign. Digital copies start at just £1 with physical copies being only £5 posted within the UK (international shipping is available at an additional cost). Backers also get exclusive behind-the-scenes updates on the book so make sure you’re not left...

I’m currently taking a break from conventions for a number of reasons, with Melksham Comic Con back in August being my last for what was planned to be a year out. There are a number of reasons for that including travel, health and, yes, money. In short, I can’t drive because my left eye is underdeveloped and I don’t really have any sense of depth perception, making driving extremely dangerous for me and everyone else on the road, so I’m reliant on public transport or my other half giving me a lift. The former is tricky due to living in a remote, rural, village and the latter became much more of an issue after we had kids. Health wise, since needing some time off work years ago for stress, anxiety and panic attacks I now get severe stomach cramps, short of breath and other unpleasant symptoms when I’m under significant stress. As much as I love conventions and the community, there can often be a pressure to sell enough to cover your costs, to be able to print the next book, to be able to attend the next show. I’m not a salesman, far from it. I’m a socially awkward high functioning autistic (Asperger’s Syndrome) who often wears a paper-thin mask of staged confidence and bravado. Finally, money. I’ve covered some of it above and the rest I’ve talked about in detail in a previous article. In short, you have to treat self-publishing like gambling, yes there are wins and occasional jackpots but you should never spend money you can’t afford to lose. Right now, I need to rebuild...

Disclaimer: This is going to be quite a long post. The creation of this article has taken quite some time due to the amount of research involved. Whilst it was initially planned to be as objective as possible, I will be calling out certain practices I believe to be illegitimate. I am not a legal professional and am presenting my limited understanding of the subject matter. I will be presenting both facts and opinions. An Introduction Fan art is something that you’ll see on many artists’ Instagrams, Facebook pages and convention stalls. At it’s core, fan art is arguably the ultimate expression of someone’s love and adoration of a particular series, franchise or Intellectual Property (IP). There’s no doubt that fan art can come from a good, well-intentioned, place and be born of love, however it’s also fair to say that fan art can be damaging to an IP holder and there could be legal consequences, especially if the fan art’s being sold. A common response from the fan art community is that they’re legally protected by Fair Use. I’ll be taking an in-depth look at Fair Use (sometimes referred to as Fair Dealing, Free Use or Fair Practice) to try and determine whether any protection does exist, or whether it’s a widespread misconception amongst the community. There are many arguments for and against fan art, as well as a number of different approaches employed by various companies to both tackle and support it. The issue stretches across more than comics, covering movies, TV shows and video games to name but a few. In addition to reviewing the law,...

With the Kickstarter for Afterlife Inc. Volume 4 over halfway to it’s funding goal (hurry, the campaign ends on September 26th), I thought now would be a good time to have another read through the book that started it all and give my thoughts. A disclaimer before we begin, I’ve met Jon Lock, the man behind the series, several times on the indie comic circuit and following several convention after parties I’m relatively confident I can call him a friend. At the very least, we’re pals according to Facebook so I am likely to have some personal bias. On to the review! Afterlife Inc. follows the exploits of Jack Fortune, a now dead con-artist who saw a business opportunity. His company, the titular Afterlife Inc., promises to make death a new beginning. The first book introduces us to Lock’s carefully crafted world, characters and some of it’s lore through a series of short stories. The first of these does a fantastic job of conveying the basic premise. By following a pilot’s death and first meeting with main character Jack, Lock gives himself a proxy, a character that the audience can project themselves into. This allows for Jack’s explanation of death, the world of the Empyrean and the mysterious “Calamity” to feel natural instead of coming across as force fed exposition. The remainder of the book hops across different styles, settings and formats. For example, there’s a black and white, film noir-esque, detective story, an Alice in Wonderland tale that flicks between comic panels and full prose pages, as well as a mostly black and white, seemingly manga inspired, entry centred around Sherlock...